It's Grandparents Day 2010; How Are You Celebrating?

Did you know today is Grandparents Day? I didn't until I saw something on the Web this morning.

It's not a holiday we've ever recognized or celebrated in our family, nor have I ever heard other friends mention that they do. And I wonder why?

While we celebrate them on Mother's Day and Father's Day because they are those things to us as well, the role of grandparents is so unique and so special that they really do deserve a special day.

Advertisement

There is no one else but a grandparent who wants to hear every story, every accomplishment, every brag you provide and then will ask for more.There's no one who delights in who your children are becoming as much, if not more than, you.

There's an old Welsh proverb that says, "Perfect love sometimes does not come until the first grandchild."

And I see that.

With our own children we are often so stressed out by the day-to-day duties of making sure they are fed and clothed and bathed and schooled and stimulated and socialized that we don't get the luxury of just sitting back and enjoying our children. Grandparents can.

They have learned lessons from raising their own children, and know that things that seem like overwhelming obstacles work themselves out. They know that of all the millions of decisions they made, the things that mattered most were the memories made and love supplied.

If only we could start with all that wisdom when we become parents. But since we can't, the next best thing is to have grandparents around.

So today on Grandparents Day, tell the grandparents in your life how much they mean to you and how much you learn from them if you haven't already.

Here are a few quotes I love about grandparents that may help you express your sentiments:

"A grandmother is a babysitter who watches the kids instead of the television." -- Author Unknown

"Being grandparents sufficiently removes us from the responsibilities so that we can be friends." -- Allan Frome

"Everyone needs to have access both to grandparents and grandchildren in order to be a full human being." -- Margaret Mead

"Grandparents are similar to a piece of string - handy to have around and easily wrapped around the fingers of their grandchildren." -- Author Unknown

Do you celebrate Grandparents Day? Are grandparents important in your children's lives?